Defining Moment No. 4: "Running of the Bulls"

Its been a memorable season of unbeaten runs and records for FC Dallas
in 2010. After a remarkable regular-season campaign that has the club in
the post-season for the first time since 2007, FCDallas.com has decided to take
a look back at five moments that defined FCD in 2010. We’ll be revealing
one every other day leading up to FC Dallas’ Nov. 6 game at Rio Tinto Stadium
against Real Salt Lake.

Perhaps no other game presented as much adversity to FC Dallas in 2010 as
their match at home against the DP-ridden New York Red Bulls. The ramifications of this match undoubtedly
affected the remainder of FC Dallas’ season.

Things looked to be going well for FC Dallas in the 24th minute,
when Milton Rodriguez scored to give the home side a 1-0 lead. However, just two minutes later FCD would
lose the heart of their on-field leadership in captain Daniel Hernandez to a
hamstring injury. Hernandez was replaced
in midfield by Dax McCarty, who was seeing his first action in two months due
to a quadriceps injury.

Things went from bad to worse just three minutes later when Dallas’
rising star Brek Shea was ejected from the game for a hard tackle on New York’s Chris
Albright, causing FCD to play a man down for the remaining 60 minutes of the
match.

Schellas Hyndman’s squad would have been happy to go into the half with the
lead a man down, but newly-acquired Red Bull Mehdi Ballouchy had other
plans. The former Rapid midfielder tied
the game in the third minute of stoppage time before the end of the half.

But just when things couldn’t get any worse – they did. In a bizarre
accident following the goal, Red Bull DP Thierry Henry’s celebratory second
strike of the dead ball struck off the right foot of an unprepared Kevin
Hartman, straining the right MCL of Dallas’ Goalkeeper of the Year
candidate. Hartman would not play
another minute of the regular season following the injury.

The second half saw the return of Dario Sala to the FC Dallas goal for the
first time in over four months. But in the face of long odds, FC Dallas would
not quit. They regained the lead in the 68th minute after rookie
Eric Alexander was able to split two Red Bull defenders and score one on one
against ‘keeper Bouna Coundoul, and the squad looked to have a shorthanded
victory in the bag.

Unfortunately, it was not to be. A heartbreaking own-goal found its way past
Sala off the head of Jair Benitez in the 82nd minute, bringing the
score to its final resting place of 2-2.

The draw ended FCD’s six-game win streak at Pizza Hut Park, but it also extended the team’s
unbeaten streak to 15 games and proved the squad could find a result no matter
how much adversity they had to face.